One fine day Larry decided to
wimp out, the better to get his two friends under control.

He went to Curly and said, “Look.
I don’t want Moe’s first choice; he wants Power in power, and I don’t
want that! Personally, I like Logic, but we can’t have everything! Now, you
want Fairness on top; and I’m willing to go along with that. It’s my
second-best choice, and your first; so let’s be allies.”

Curly agreed to this scheme; and
Moe, to his infuriation, found himself shut out by their Sophisticated Voting!

Thus Larry, by accepting a
mediocre outcome, avoided the worst outcome. That is, until Moe hit on this
strategem; approaching Larry with uncharacteristic deference, Moe agreed to
cast his vote in favor of Logic; Moe’s second-best choice, and Larry’s
favorite.

Larry accepted, and, Curly, to
his consternation, was on the outs this time! That is, until he approached Moe,
with a Sophisticated Voting scam in mind. And so Moe and Curly combined against
Larry, and put Power in power.

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

I constructed the following
Surreality Troikas in response to five proofs by Aquinas of the existence of
God.

Zeroth
Mover Troika.

If the First Mover is that which sets
all other things into motion, then define the Zeroth Mover as that which set
the First Mover into motion. Then either; there is no first mover, and motion
has been eternal; there is a first mover but no zeroth mover, and hence an unmoved
mover; or there is a first mover and a zeroth mover, which set each other into
motion.

Let the Stooges take each of these
positions; then these propositions pass: there is a First Mover, every mover is
moved, there is no Zeroth Mover.

Zeroth
Cause Troika.

Define a zeroth cause as that which
causes the first cause. As above, then either there is no first cause because
causation goes back infinitely deep; or there is an uncaused first cause; or
first and zeroth cause cause each other.

Let the Stooges take each of these
positions; then these propositions pass: there is a First Cause, every cause is
caused, there is no Zeroth Cause.

Pre-necessary
Troika.

Define a pre-necessary being as a
being which necessitates the most necessary being. Proceed as before; either
there is no most necessary being, or there is a most necessary being that is
itself not necessary; or there are at least two beings necessary to each other.

Let the Stooges take each of these
positions; then these propositions pass: there is a most necessary being, all
beings are necessitated, there is no pre-necessary being.

Trans-maximal
Troika.

Define a trans-maximal being as a source
of the maximal being. Then, as before, either there is no maximal being, and an
infinite sequence of ever-greater beings; or there is a maximal being not
surpassed, and hence without source; or there are at least two beings greater
than each other, and each other's source.

Let the Stooges take each of these
positions; then these propositions pass: there is a maximal being, all beings
have a source in something greater, there is no trans-maximal being.

Sub-Prime
Intelligence Troika.

Define a Prime Intelligence as one
that directs all things, or at least directs their directors. Now define a
Sub-Prime Intelligence as an intelligence that directs the Prime Intelligence.
Proceeding as before: either there is no prime intelligence, and there are
directors to infinite depth; or there is a prime intelligence itself undirected
by intelligence; or there are two intelligences which direct each other.

Let the Stooges take each of these
positions; then these propositions pass: there is a Prime Intelligence, all
intelligences are intelligently directed, there is no Sub-Prime Intelligence.

Surreality
Troika.

In each of these troikas, a
putative maximum/prime/necessary/first entity is undermined by a transmaximal/sub-prime/pre-necessary/zeroth
entity. What maximum, prime, necessary and first had in common was superior
reality. Time for a troika!

So define ‘surreality’ to be that
which exceeds a ‘greatest reality’. There are three possibilities; the Line,
the Ray, or the Loop. Either the realness order is endless, with no greatest
reality; or it ends at an edge, with an unsurpassed greatest reality; or it
loops, with two realities exceeding each other. All three options are
unintuitive; endless reality depth is incomprehensible, an edge of reality is chaotic,
and a reality loop is paradoxical.

Let the Stooges take each of these
positions; then these propositions pass: there is a greatest reality, any
reality is exceeded, there is no surreality. That is, reality is founded,
reality is transcended, reality is unparadoxical; choose two!

This resembles the Munchausen
Trilemma mentioned previously; namely, that any explanation is at most two of:
finite, complete, noncircular. We can phrase the Munchausen Trilemma as a
Some-All-None Trilemma, thus: some explanation is final; every explanation is
explained; there are no explanatory loops; choose two. The Stooges uphold each
by 2/3, yet all agree that one must go. Finite, complete and noncircular is what
we call normality; an illusion created by paradox, whose failures define deduction.